The invention relates to rotatable tools such as drills, hammer drill, screwdrivers, and other power tools. More particularly, the present invention relates to a removable chuck for a hand-held tool.
In the consumer market, it is desirable to use rotatable tools with a drill bit to form holes in a workpiece. Also, it is desirous to insert fasteners, such as screws with a regular or Phillips head into these holes to retain multiple workpieces together. Ordinarily, one uses the tool to drill the holes in the workpiece. After drilling the holes in the workpiece, the drill bit is removed from the chuck and a tool bit is inserted into the chuck for driving the fastener. While this has been an effective method for driving fasteners into the workpiece, it is burdensome and time consuming to continually drill holes, remove the drill bit from the chuck, and insert a tool bit into the chuck to drive the fastener. Generally, this process is continued while connecting several workpieces together. Further, this process has been carried out in the professional power tool devices. Thus, it would be desirable to provide a chuck with the drill bit, which is removable from the tool to expose a spindle, with a tool bit, on the tool to drive the fasteners.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a removable chuck assembly embodying the foregoing design objectives.
In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, a removable chuck comprises a sleeve adapted to connect with a rotatable spindle. A chuck body is coupled with the sleeve. A locking mechanism is adapted to retain the sleeve on the rotating spindle. The locking mechanism includes a locking member to seat in a recess in the spindle. The locking member is movable from a first position, where the locking member is in a non-biased condition, coupling the sleeve with the spindle, to a second position, where the locking member is in a biased condition to enable decoupling from the spindle. The locking member is preferably an overall U-shaped spring for locking the sleeve with the spindle. Further, the locking member may include a first non-rotatable and a second rotatable member and a biasing member. The rotatable member moves the biasing member between the first and second positions to lock and enable removal of the sleeve from the spindle. The rotatable member includes a cam surface which acts on the U-shaped spring to move the U-shaped spring transverse to the axis of the spindle between the first and second positions. The non-rotatable and rotatable members include mating ledges to enable coupling with one another. Also, a latch is coupled with the non-rotatable member. The adjustable member includes a notch to receive the latch to provide a positive indication of the rotatable member in the first position. Additionally, the locking member may include a yoke member with a pin to engage the recess. A helical spring biases the yoke member to enable it to move between the first and second positions.
In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, a hand tool comprises a hand tool with a rotatable spindle. The spindle includes a recess. A removable chuck is coupled with the spindle. A sleeve couples the removable chuck with the rotatable spindle. A locking mechanism retains the sleeve on the rotatable spindle. The locking mechanism includes a locking member to seat in the recess of the spindle. The locking member is movable from a first position, where the locking member is in a non-biased condition, coupling the sleeve with the spindle, to a second position, where the locking member is in a biased condition to enable decoupling from the spindle. The locking member is preferably an overall U-shaped spring to lock the sleeve with the spindle. Further, the locking member may include a first non-rotatable and a second rotatable member and a biasing member. The rotatable member moves the biasing member between the first and second position to lock and enable removal of the sleeve from the spindle. The rotatable member includes a cam surface which acts on the U-shaped spring to move the U-shaped spring transverse to the axis of the spindle between the first and second positions. The non-rotatable and rotatable members include mating ledges to enable coupling with one another. Also, a latch is coupled with the non-rotatable member. The adjustable member includes a notch to receive the latch to provide a positive indication of the rotatable member in the first position. Additionally, the locking member may include a yoke member with a pin to engage the recess. A helical spring biases the yoke member to enable it to move between the first and second positions.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the preferred embodiment, and the appended claims and accompanying drawings, or may be learned by practice of the invention.